If England were choosing a city in which to stage a famous Ashes fightback, it is fair to say Perth would not be top of their list.

They have enjoyed the excellent practice facilities at the Waca at the start of each of the past two Ashes tours, and perhaps, if they have any sense, even the odd glass of Little Creatures Pale Ale from Fremantle.

But they have been beaten – usually thrashed – in each of their past six Tests there stretching back to 1991, and have not won at the ground in nine visits since 1978, when a century by David Gower, and five wickets for Bob Willis, set up a 166-run victory against an Australia team missing its Packer rebels, including the local Perth heroes Rod Marsh and Dennis Lillee.

So how on earth can they reverse current form, and recent history, this time around?

Think the unthinkable

Before the start of this series, little more than a fortnight ago, the idea that anybody could even consider England dropping Matt Prior or Graeme Swann would have been preposterous. Prior's second-innings defiance has therefore been a major boost in Adelaide – one authoritative pull off the last over of the fourth day from Mitchell Johnson felt encouragingly like an "I'm back" statement, even if it was prefaced by some horribly nervous scratching. But the worries over Swann remain.

Don't dispense with spin

Having said that, the past couple of Tests at the Waca strengthen the argument of those sages who stress that the ground's reputation for pace and bounce does not entirely neuter the twirlymen. Last year Nathan Lyon took three wickets on the first day as South Africa were dismissed for 225, and Robin Peterson ended with six in the match. Monty Panesar has also had success there before.

Fight fire with fire – part I

Among the many problems posed by Mitchell Johnson, there is the dilemma of how best to handle him. Duck, sway and get out of the way of as many balls as possible, thereby seeing off the short spells in which he has been used? Or counterattack. The latter approach has proved disastrous for several England batsmen in this series, notably Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen in Brisbane, and Alastair Cook in Adelaide. But if Perth is as spicy as its reputation – and the WA state coach, Justin Langer, was salivating about its pace and bounce over the weekend – then top-edged sixes may be a more attractive option than collecting bruises.

Fight fire with fire – part II

When Chris Tremlett and Boyd Rankin brought drinks out to Joe Root and Pietersen during Sunday's afternoon session, the giants standing out even more than usual in the hi-vis bibs which are presumably required by health and safety, the Channel 9 commentary team were prompted to wonder what had happened to England's much-trumpeted strategy of big is best. Tremlett played in Brisbane but as a steady third seamer rather than the fearsome enforcer of the last Ashes tour, and Rankin and Steve Finn have hardly been seen. But unless England have already decided to consign this decision quietly to the garbage, at least one of them must surely play in Perth. After two Tests being peppered by Johnson, with Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad firing peashooters by comparison, in Adelaide at least, the whole England team would surely welcome the possibility of giving the increasingly cocksure Aussies a dose of their own.